DC United Postmatch
- Thread starter NYCFC_Dan
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Got to witness a Villa goal and a shutout, which automatically makes it a great game
Gritty performance by RJ tonight. Seemed like he re-aggravated the ankle injury but he gutted it out.
Great finish by Villa. He works harder than any DP in the league on both sides of the ball. He is really earning his money. He might be a little harsh on his teammates on the field sometimes, but you can't question his work ethic.
Mata is a stud. Top notch tackling and his service was excellent tonight. I can't imagine he's gonna be here more than another year at best before Europe comes calling.
TMac was TMac. Constantly making good runs off the ball in the final third and a great layoff to Villa for first goal. Also, his refusal to let the ball go over the end line leads to Khiry's goal. Tommy makes up for his lack of athleticism by just being a really smart, technical and unselfish player.
I thought Khiry was really good tonight. Good work on the assist and he showed what an athlete he is on that goal. If he keeps playing like that he is going to be a real handful for defenders going forward.
Bravo put in a shift tonight. We are going to miss him next week. Only silver lining is that maybe this is the opportunity Mix needs. Hopefully he step ups and plays well and gets his confidence back.
Great finish by Villa. He works harder than any DP in the league on both sides of the ball. He is really earning his money. He might be a little harsh on his teammates on the field sometimes, but you can't question his work ethic.
Mata is a stud. Top notch tackling and his service was excellent tonight. I can't imagine he's gonna be here more than another year at best before Europe comes calling.
TMac was TMac. Constantly making good runs off the ball in the final third and a great layoff to Villa for first goal. Also, his refusal to let the ball go over the end line leads to Khiry's goal. Tommy makes up for his lack of athleticism by just being a really smart, technical and unselfish player.
I thought Khiry was really good tonight. Good work on the assist and he showed what an athlete he is on that goal. If he keeps playing like that he is going to be a real handful for defenders going forward.
Bravo put in a shift tonight. We are going to miss him next week. Only silver lining is that maybe this is the opportunity Mix needs. Hopefully he step ups and plays well and gets his confidence back.
I have a .32. Guess for the 1st time this season I watched the same match as everyone else.
Imagine TMac's brain in Khiry's body. Now that would be a good player. Seriously though enjoyed that first game I've been able watch in weeks due to having comcast so rather enjoyed it.
Caught the game on DVR as we were coming back from an afternoon in the city with the kids.
A solid game and a deserved win. Great to see us turn all that possession into better chances and to have a couple of those go in. The defense was also solid, although I do think a more clinical team would have put 1-2 in against us.
I will write more tomorrow as it is late, but I want to take a moment to praise the performances of TMac and Shelton - my co-me of the match. Really good stuff from both. McNamara was his usual hard working and clever self. The move up top has been huge for him and the team. Shelton was awesome. A goal and an assist and he was consistently dangerous on that side with both his speed and his technical ability.
A solid game and a deserved win. Great to see us turn all that possession into better chances and to have a couple of those go in. The defense was also solid, although I do think a more clinical team would have put 1-2 in against us.
I will write more tomorrow as it is late, but I want to take a moment to praise the performances of TMac and Shelton - my co-me of the match. Really good stuff from both. McNamara was his usual hard working and clever self. The move up top has been huge for him and the team. Shelton was awesome. A goal and an assist and he was consistently dangerous on that side with both his speed and his technical ability.
We're gonna win the league / cup
We're gonna win the league / cup
And now you're gonna believe us
And now you're gonna believe us
And now you're gonna believe us
We're gonna win the thing.
It looked like we dominated this game from start to finish. I was fairly schwastey (had a great time with the traveling NYCFC fans) , but Whoscored seems to agree: https://www.whoscored.com/Matches/1043774/MatchReport
I thought it was strange that DCU decided to come out in a 4-4-2. Predictably we bossed midfield and looked at ease in the centre. Acosta was dangerous, as predicted, and was either intelligent enough or coached intelligently enough to drift out to the right hand side every time we tried to attack down the left hand side, taking advantage of the gap that Matarrita left. This might have been DC's game plan all along, as we got caught and lost possession on the left hand side a few times early on. Perhaps because of that, we went down the right hand side fairly often. I'm just guessing, but it was fruitful for us.
We seem to have figured out our wing-play by playing 3 defensively-minded midfielders. OK, so Pirlo isn't super defensively minded, but he's not gonna bust a gut trying to get forward. It's possible that earlier on in the season in a 4-3-3 / 3-2-2-3 we weren't coordinating our forward runs so that we'd either end up with Mata, Tommy and Taylor (on the left hand side, Mix, Shelton and Iraola on the right hand side) sitting back (and being starved of movement up front) or all of them going forward (and getting burned on the counters). Right now we have Mikey and Pirlo occupying the space that our full backs vacate, while our fullbacks and wingers have their overlaps running like clockwork. Ultimately we'd have more versatility if our two attacking center midfielders, fullbacks and wingers could more effectively coordinate their moment, but this singular mode of wing-play is getting points on the board. Also I could be full of shit on all of the above.
I'm gonna have to try and make more of these away games. There weren't many of us but it was a great time.
We're gonna win the league / cup
And now you're gonna believe us
And now you're gonna believe us
And now you're gonna believe us
We're gonna win the thing.
It looked like we dominated this game from start to finish. I was fairly schwastey (had a great time with the traveling NYCFC fans) , but Whoscored seems to agree: https://www.whoscored.com/Matches/1043774/MatchReport
I thought it was strange that DCU decided to come out in a 4-4-2. Predictably we bossed midfield and looked at ease in the centre. Acosta was dangerous, as predicted, and was either intelligent enough or coached intelligently enough to drift out to the right hand side every time we tried to attack down the left hand side, taking advantage of the gap that Matarrita left. This might have been DC's game plan all along, as we got caught and lost possession on the left hand side a few times early on. Perhaps because of that, we went down the right hand side fairly often. I'm just guessing, but it was fruitful for us.
We seem to have figured out our wing-play by playing 3 defensively-minded midfielders. OK, so Pirlo isn't super defensively minded, but he's not gonna bust a gut trying to get forward. It's possible that earlier on in the season in a 4-3-3 / 3-2-2-3 we weren't coordinating our forward runs so that we'd either end up with Mata, Tommy and Taylor (on the left hand side, Mix, Shelton and Iraola on the right hand side) sitting back (and being starved of movement up front) or all of them going forward (and getting burned on the counters). Right now we have Mikey and Pirlo occupying the space that our full backs vacate, while our fullbacks and wingers have their overlaps running like clockwork. Ultimately we'd have more versatility if our two attacking center midfielders, fullbacks and wingers could more effectively coordinate their moment, but this singular mode of wing-play is getting points on the board. Also I could be full of shit on all of the above.
I'm gonna have to try and make more of these away games. There weren't many of us but it was a great time.
Posting before reading to ensure limited bias:
Villa is a bitch, but he's our bitch. Can't complain about him tonight, or his guts ever. Even if the end product is off a fair portion.
Best game Lopez has ever played in his life, and I'm still not sure it's better than our alternative. Does PV envision possession as a helter skelter proposition? Whatever. Still, his best game.
Shelton was largely responsible for us winning. Well done. He is a physicial specimen.
Oh, and Matarrita played some killer balls. Dear God were some of them amazing. He rarely hits a cross that isn't dangerous.
And Pirlo kept releasing him down the side. Pirlo played a lot of really, really smart balls today. Ginger man couldn't see them because he's a shithead. But Pirlo was really, really good for me. He got us forward.
I have criticisms, too. I will save those for a latter day. And I mean tomorrow, not when we play RSL.
We won. It wasn't pretty. I'll take it all day. And twice on Sunday.
Villa is a bitch, but he's our bitch. Can't complain about him tonight, or his guts ever. Even if the end product is off a fair portion.
Best game Lopez has ever played in his life, and I'm still not sure it's better than our alternative. Does PV envision possession as a helter skelter proposition? Whatever. Still, his best game.
Shelton was largely responsible for us winning. Well done. He is a physicial specimen.
Oh, and Matarrita played some killer balls. Dear God were some of them amazing. He rarely hits a cross that isn't dangerous.
And Pirlo kept releasing him down the side. Pirlo played a lot of really, really smart balls today. Ginger man couldn't see them because he's a shithead. But Pirlo was really, really good for me. He got us forward.
I have criticisms, too. I will save those for a latter day. And I mean tomorrow, not when we play RSL.
We won. It wasn't pretty. I'll take it all day. And twice on Sunday.
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Obviously super happy with the result, but it could easily have been a 2-2 draw if DC's finishing in the first half had been better. On the other hand, we should have made it at least 3 if not 4 for us by the end of the second half, so I can still feel we deserved the win.
Really we should have started dominating the match much earlier than we did given DC's mostly lackluster performance, but once again we had a huge amount of crappy turnovers.
Mattarita just gets better and better.
Mendoza needs to add vision to his raw speed. Also I thought it was odd to bring in an attacker instead of a holding midfielder when two goals up, but I guess PV wanted those counter/break opportunities to keep coming.
Didn't get the Pirlo to Mix sub I kept expecting.
Can't be overly critical... We're 4th in the East!
Really we should have started dominating the match much earlier than we did given DC's mostly lackluster performance, but once again we had a huge amount of crappy turnovers.
Mattarita just gets better and better.
Mendoza needs to add vision to his raw speed. Also I thought it was odd to bring in an attacker instead of a holding midfielder when two goals up, but I guess PV wanted those counter/break opportunities to keep coming.
Didn't get the Pirlo to Mix sub I kept expecting.
Can't be overly critical... We're 4th in the East!
I don't know if he got lucky or good on that 1 on 1 but thank fuck, whatever it was.
Nice overall win. The best part about it is that they are getting better. They are playing better together...as a team. Something that couldn't have happened last year cause Jason kept changing line ups. I anticipate us getting stronger as the season progresses.
If I'm reading you right
Christopher Jee...I agree. PV is emphasizing the L/R backs to push the ball up the field, leaving Pirlo & Bravo to occupy those open spaces to slow the play down for them. Mikey was the only one pushing up. With fast wingers, this is a winning tactic. A tactic that relies on playing from the back...hence his insistence to stick with it. Even though we're playing with fire when the press comes...keep it going.
If I'm reading you right
Christopher Jee...I agree. PV is emphasizing the L/R backs to push the ball up the field, leaving Pirlo & Bravo to occupy those open spaces to slow the play down for them. Mikey was the only one pushing up. With fast wingers, this is a winning tactic. A tactic that relies on playing from the back...hence his insistence to stick with it. Even though we're playing with fire when the press comes...keep it going.
Yeah, I was a little cryptic.Nice overall win. The best part about it is that they are getting better. They are playing better together...as a team. Something that couldn't have happened last year cause Jason kept changing line ups. I anticipate us getting stronger as the season progresses.
If I'm reading you right
Also having watched the replay on FS2Go, our defensive line is looking sharp and our shape overall was impeccable. Hats off, PV and staff. Everything looks so simple when people know what they're supposed to do and how it fits into the overall plan! Even when we switched formation we looked well drilled.
Perhaps this is what it looks like when your team gels. Finally.
As long as Saunders and the back line can handle it a press is good for us when we play this way. We made a number of really good longish passes to midfield where our wingers were waiting. If they weren't pressing midfield would be more crowded, so ultimately this worked to our advantage and let us quickly attack.If I'm reading you right
What is the point of Lopez? I hate to complain after a win, but that is a shitty DC team, if we don't win those games, we just need to give up. If you are going to be stubborn keeping a good player on the bench, his replacement better be playing amazingly. Lopez can't keep possession, made zero plays on defense and doesn't do the secondary run his position requires. Ffs, play mix.
Not yet mentioned:
- On Khiry's goal, high fives all around. Then Pirlo got to him and he broke into a huge grin. Did Pirlo say something funny or are they building a friendship? Not just interested in the whacky buddy comedy. I think Pirlo taking Khiry under his wing would be great for him.
- The TMac flick on the corner was an excellent training ground play. The double curl with Villa being the first to break toward the corner. It was beautiful. Easily as good or better than the one we scored off of last week. Just needed a stronger final product.
- Ginger man quotes of the night: "Getting muscled off the ball by Pirlo. That's just embarrassing." And, "That shot went in off his nipple."
N
NYC24
Guest
Team mates were congratulating Khiry for his header (maybe need a new OG rule considering the defender shoved him into the ball?) and he was playing it super cool. Then Pirlo came over and said something and Khiry started beaming like his dad just told him he loved him for the first time. It was a moment.
Obviously something is working with Lopez because we have won two straight, but damn is it frustrating to see him kill a counter attack.
He does well defensively, and he seems to do a good job of getting into good positions on offense...but then he screws up and gives the ball away. There have been a couple of counters the past two weeks that Mikey has gotten the outlet pass and tries to dribble on the run, and he always gets caught from behind
N
NYC24
Guest
Mikey's to-do list:
1) Lose the ball
2) Fight to get it back
3) Go to step 1
1) Lose the ball
2) Fight to get it back
3) Go to step 1
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